League looking into Mike Williams drug test

Posted by Mike Florio on November 22, 2010, 6:34 PM EDT

Even though Buccaneers receiver Mike Williams wanted to submit to a urine test to prove that he wasn’t under the influence of substances other than alcohol when he was arrested for suspicion of DUI on Friday, the NFL possibly will find that the team should have declined the request.

League spokesman Greg Aiello tells us that the testing occurred without the knowledge or consent of the NFL.

“We did not know about it or agree to it,” Aiello said. “We are looking into it.”

Although it’s possible that, in this specific case, the circumstances justified the team’s decision to arrange for the test, it sets a dangerous precedent. In future cases involving the Bucs or other teams, it would be easy for coaches or team officials to point to Williams’ willingness to submit to testing as a way to persuade a player that, if he has nothing to hide, he should submit to the test.

To avoid such slippery slopes, the league has created, via bargaining with the NFLPA, a procedure for dealing with this issue, and that procedure does not permit a team to submit a player to testing based on an affirmative decision by the player to be tested (absent, as we pointed out earlier, a term in the player’s contract allowing unannounced tests).

A team not wanting a player to get suspended will fix the drug test they adminnister any way they want. Kind of like how the Patriots did when Kevin Faulk “took full responsibility” by saying the weed wasn’t his when he got busted.

brasho says:Nov 22, 2010 6:48 PM

Yes, the league should do everything in its power to make its innocent players appear to be as guilty and thuggish as possible.

Seriously, even if the Bucs were wrong here, they should be happy to accept the punishment for doing the right thing in letting an innocent man prove his innocence. The young Bucs have a lot of character and it shows more and more every week.

satanphoenix says:Nov 22, 2010 6:48 PM

You: Your honor I have the DNA test and a Videotape of Maury Povich saying “you are not the father”

Judge: Sorry state law says since you were married to the mother “you are the father”

Dose he need a lawyer now??? I thought this was an in house issue. Now this ” mole hill ” is may grow out of control. All Mike wanted to do was prove he was clean of drugs. The breath test proved he was not under the influence of alcohol.

So he gets pulled over says “WTF” to any drugs and says “sure test me”. Money or strategy cannot buy anything better in the public eye. Way to go Mike.

wetpaperbag2 says:Nov 22, 2010 6:57 PM

What you say is true, but the problem is when you have an agreement between employer and employee in regards to how things are to be done and the employer goes outside the “rules” to do what THEY want to do, then you have a contractual problem.

Just as a player is frowned upon and often disciplined when when he skips a mandatory practice to work out on his own, what is the repercussion if a team institutes an unsanctioned drug test?

Yup…the turd is stirred. Thanks, Florio you’ve accomplished what you set out to do. Made a mountain out of a molehill. Hope the Buc’s accept any penalty with a smile ’cause they did the right thing allowing a man to prove he shouldn’t be penalized for being guilty of Driving While Black (DWB) which is something that maybe Florio would do well in investigating.

FinFan68 says:Nov 22, 2010 8:13 PM

Only a lawyer would find fault in this.

“In future cases involving the Bucs or other teams, it would be easy for coaches or team officials to point to Williams’ willingness to submit to testing as a way to persuade a player that, if he has nothing to hide, he should submit to the test.”

This is exactly why there is a provision in the CBA…it is to protect the players. Williams has taken an extra step in extenuating circumstances. This was not initiated by the team or the league, therefor the CBA SA testing procedures should not apply.

The league does not need to approve everything that happens between the team and the players. For example, the CBA says the team will provide transportation to and from away games…but when Moss stayed in Boston after the game, the league didn’t approve that ahead of time.

This is much ado about nothing, and the league is about to look stupid. That’s what happens when you listen to lawyers rather than common sense.

nicalooch says:Nov 22, 2010 8:23 PM

Watch the Raheem Morris PC from today on the team site. He says that the team will not be sending the results to the league. When asked about the results, Ra said that they were very pleased with the results, and that’s all he would disclose. (Tampa press can be quite nagging at times)

It was Mike’s decision to have the test administered, and this is just like a defendant waiving his right to counsel when they know they can do it better themselves. Mike said screw waiting on the Hillsborough Cty Sheriff’s Dept to release his test results and did it himself so he can stop the verbal abuse being brought on by the media. Good to know you bottomfeeders (along with Schefter) are having a field day with trying to make this young man look like a thug along with the organization.

Good for Mike Williams. He is just tring to prove his innocense since the general public will find him guilty due to the fact that he is a professional football player. It was not the best decision to be out at 3 in the morning but he is an adult. It is his legal right even though the team is frowning upon it (as they should). They invested a lot of money in him but he is an adult. He should have the right to voluntarily pee in a cup if he wants.

satanphoenix says:Nov 22, 2010 9:09 PM

@wetpaperbag2

In this case the employee and the employer both agreed to this at the employees insistence and ultimatly did something for the good of both the employee and employer.

The alternative would have been for Mike Williams to get a reporter to witness a urine test to prove his innocence in a timely fashion in regards to drugs. A situation the NFL. NFLPA, The Bucanneers & Williams have reason to avoid.

If he wasn’t drunk and out at 3am right before a road trip, he was probably coming home after getting some before i leave Booty. Good for him, he’s a young star and she was probably hotter then a jalapeno dipped in hot sauce. good for him!

While somebody just tried to turn it in to a race issue, he was doing 11 MPH over the legal speed limit which caused him to be pulled over not his skin color. It was 230 or 300 am I am sure he was tired which caused his DWI or DUI look. Did he drink some alcohol I am sure he did but not alot. Is he innocent…hell yes. The NFL should let the Buccaneers handle there employees…

mean13 says:Nov 22, 2010 10:51 PM

Leave it to larryed to play the race card. Buffoons like him whine racism about everything.